ProCare Therapy, a company that connects health care professionals with schools, just released its 2025 State of School Lunch Report — and the results are pretty appetizing. The study breaks down how each state measures up when it comes to the quality and nutrition of school meals, and both Washington, DC, and Virginia made the top 10, landing impressive spots.
Where DC and Virginia are ranked
ProCare considers several factors when it comes to assigning each state a score out of 100 that indicates how effective it is in providing healthy school lunches. Higher scores are associated with:
- Higher vegetable consumption
- Lower prevalence of sugar drinks
- Access to fresh, locally sourced foods, which also contributes to sustainable agriculture
The categories are weighted differently, meaning they affect the overall score differently. The data used to rank the states comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
DC was given a score of 70.11, while Virginia received a 64.08. For reference, the highest score was 81.68 (Vermont), and the lowest was 12.86 (Oklahoma). It’s worth noting that Virginia’s score is slightly lower than last year’s report, and DC was not ranked in 2024.
What DC and Virginia are doing right
Serving local foods is one of the more important metrics, and it works in tandem with how many schools in each state participate in farm-to-school programs. The National School Lunch Program and Local Food for Schools are some of the initiatives involved in bringing local foods into school lunches through their meal programs.
Actively participating in programs and initiatives that introduce more fresh fruits, vegetables and other farm-fresh ingredients (e.g., potatoes) contributes to DC and Virginia being ranked so highly (along with Vermont, Hawaii, West Virginia and Delaware).
Better school lunches mean stronger academics and healthier kids
School lunches are essential when it comes to building healthy eating habits. Lunches that incorporate fewer sugar drinks help lower incidents of obesity, while fruits and vegetables are responsible for bolstering immune function and reducing the risks of various diseases. It’s essential to have nutritious opportunities available in school lunches because they will affect lifelong habits. The earlier kids learn to maintain healthy eating habits, the better they fare in the long term.
Good nutrition also contributes to learning and academic performance. Quality school meal programs are linked to better attendance and lower rates of disciplinary action.
Promoting healthy school lunches is essential because of how many students rely on them — tens of millions of kids eat school lunches every day.
Seth Hagler is a freelance writer and an intern with Washington Parent. He holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and is currently pursuing an M.A. in Writing from Johns Hopkins University.
